Evidently Ygritte was wrong about Jon Snow - he does know something about mens cologne...among other things..GoT 5 returns in April..

The following does explain one thing that's been a puzzlement - why all the other shows on HBO are pure crap (excuse the language..I save it for those times when it's most accurate) Obviously, the lion's share of their production budget is funneled into the folowing massive undertaking, which is enjoyed worldwide. GoT 5 begins April 12..

Why the Crusades? They were not purely an aggressive attack, rather they were a defensive mechanism. Land once held by Christians had been invaded and conquered by Mohammed's followers. The former Christian territories that had already been conquered reached deep into the west, including all of Spain and part of Italy. Western Europe became concerned for it's own safety from the onslaught which triggered formation of forces culminating in The Crusades to retake Christian territories in the MidEast.

EXCERPT: "From the outset the Crusades were defensive wars and checked the advance of the Mohammedans who, for two centuries, concentrated their forces in a struggle against the Christian settlements in Syria; hence Europe is largely indebted to the Crusades for the maintenance of its independence."